An Accident
by AryaTyrell
Summary: First James is hit by a car- with no driver?. Then, Carlos gets sent to a mental institution for something he didn't do. That leaves only Kendall and Logan to solve the mystery. Character death D: OC- Tess
1. Chapter 1

"Best. Concert. Ever!" Carlos Garcia did a fist pump in the air as he and his three best friends walked away from the stage. Big Time Rush had performed for a good two hours in Jacksonville, Florida at the Veteran's Memorial Center. They were heading back to the tour bus, which was waiting for them across the street. The four teens had to leave by the back door of the stage, for fear fans would trample them if they went out the main exit.

"Yup. Definitely," James Diamond agreed, flexing his shoulder. "And by the way, Logan, I think you broke my shoulder… your insanely long leg hit it halfway through."

Logan Mitchell stuck his tongue out defiantly. Logan had done two backflips in a row during the concert. "Well, I'm sorry, your insanely sensitive shoulder shouldn't have been there."

As the two bickered, Kendall Knight said "Ah, do you guys ever stop arguing?"

"No," both boys admitted. It was true- Logan and James argued constantly over the dumbest things.

Soon after this exchange, they came to a crosswalk. "What does Mama Knight always say?..." Kendall prompted.

" 'Before you cross, look each way… then you'll get home safe each day,' " the other guys chorused half-heartedly.

After looking left and right several times, the foursome walked across the wide street. They were silent, each wrapped in their own thoughts.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, headlights lit up the road. A huge, black Hummer was speeding towards them, not showing any sign of ever slowing down. "Crap!" Logan yelled, and bolted, the other boys following his lead. Everyone except James, who seemed frozen in terror, his eyes wide in the headlights. "James, run!" Kendall bellowed from the other side of the street, but it was too late. The Hummer rammed into James, sending him flying. He lay sprawled on the concrete a few feet away.

"Oh, God." Logan whispered, paling. "Oh, God, no…"

The three ran out on the street, still shocked at what happened. "Check for a pulse, Logan, check for a pulse!" Carlos shrieked a little hysterically when they got there. Logan frantically grabbed James' wrist, shaking a little as he placed his index and middle fingers on the blue vein. _Please don't let him be dead. This can't be happening. _

After a few tense moments, Logan announced in a hoarse whisper, "He's alive. But barely. We have to call the ambulance."

"Oh, thank God!" Kendall said, putting his head in his hands. Carlos looked like he would cry from the relief. "I'll dial 911," Carlos volunteered, slipping his phone out of his pocket.

"I'll go check the car," Kendall said, stumbling up and heading to the Hummer.

Logan felt that he wasn't safe on the street anymore, so he dragged James' limp form to the other side of the street while the other guys went about their business. Another wave of anxiety hit him as he saw a pool of blood where James' head was. _Are you freaking serious? _"You guys?" Logan called. "I think James has a concussion!"

The other two were there in three seconds flat. "What?" They said in unison. "How do you know?"

Logan merely nodded at the blood on the concrete. Carlos flinched a little- the sight of blood always made him nauseous. "We have to clean it up, or people will get suspicious," Logan said with the I'm-the-smart-one-do-as-I-say voice.

"Okay. No big deal." Kendall said, trying not to freak out. "Carlos, go and see if there's any newspaper in that trash can over there," he said, pointing at the garbage can near the bench.

Carlos nodded and practically ran to the can. As he fished through the smelly garbage, Kendall asked Logan, "Is it serious?"

"I'm- I don't know," Logan said miserably. This was one of those rare times he didn't know the answer to something. The stood in silence for a few seconds before Carlos called meekly, "I got some paper!"

Kendall and Logan mopped up the mess- Carlos didn't want to get within a yard's distance of it, and he still had to call the ambulance. Logan wrinkled his nose at the smell of it- like Carlos, he didn't like blood, or at least the smell of it. Kendall didn't seem at all bothered by it. Logan worked quickly and quietly anyway, praying that another car wouldn't come.

"There was no driver," Kendall said suddenly, breaking Logan out of his thoughts.

"What?" he asked sharply.

"The car. There's no driver," Kendall pointed at the Hummer, and he was right. There was just enough moonlight to see the interior, and sure enough there was no one inside.

"That's weird," Logan commented. "Cars can't drive themselves…"

"That's what I thought. Did you see anyone, like, sneaking away or something?"

Logan shook his head. "No, I was more concerned about James."

"The ambulance is coming in 15 minutes," Carlos called.

Those 15 minutes were the longest in Logan's life. It was more like an hour. The anxiety and tension in the air- it was too much. His foot tapped the ground softly, impatiently, and he was checking his watch every 30 seconds. Carlos stood guard, looking around for any sign of movement. He did see something, but upon closer inspection it was just a stray raccoon. Kendall sat near James, who was still unconscious. In fact, James hadn't stirred once since he was hit, and that wasn't good. Suppose something was _really _wrong with him? What if the concussion triggered amnesia?

Logan immediately scolded himself for thinking that. _James is not going to have amnesia. He'll wake up tomorrow perfectly fine. _But the way things were going, he wasn't sure if he believed it.

Another question that whirled in his head was: _Why would someone purposely hit James? _Did anyone have a grudge against James? Logan ran all the people he knew through his head, and no one seemed to have and obvious disliking to his narcissistic friend. Then a sudden realization hit him. _Someone was trying to hit Big Time Rush at the same time. _Yes, it made perfect sense. If he, Carlos and Kendall hadn't sprinted out of the way, they'd all be roadkill and no one would ever know what happened. And the event couldn't be passed off as an accident- if it was, then the driver wouldn't have run off.

Logan rephrased the question. _Why would someone purposely hit _Big Time Rush_? _


	2. Chapter 2

**Fun Facts- Tess almost didn't make it in this one! But she makes the story a little juicier since both Logan and James like her :) **

** - I originally had Tess wake up in her room at the apartment and she goes through James's stuff and learns that he likes her, but I thought this version was better. **

"Is James gonna be okay?" Carlos asked the doctor worriedly.

"Yes. It's just a coma, with a light concussion," Dr. Meade explained. Relief washed over the boys' faces.

"Well, how long is he going to be out?" Kendall inquired.

Dr. Meade shrugged. "A month, at best."

"A month?" Logan said in disbelief. He couldn't even go a day without talking to James, much less a month.

The doctor looked impatient. "Yes. Well, I'll leave you alone…" With that he walked out the door, closing it behind him.

_I can't believe this is actually happening, _Logan thought, staring at his unconscious friend in the hospital bed. The only other time James had been hospitalized was when he fell off the stage doing karaoke in fifth grade, years ago. He grinned a little at the memory, remembering how Carlos and Kendall had taken a million pictures and still laughed to tears about it. Even Tess was giggling a bit.

Logan's heart skipped a bit. Oh jeez- did Tess even know James was in the hospital? Logan slipped his phone out of his pocket and shot Tess a quick text- "Come to ER on Madison Avenue."

Fifteen minutes later, Tess burst through the door of room 6699. Three pairs of eyes swung to her, each widening in surprise.

And when her own eyes fell on James, her heart stopped.

Her lip trembled as hot tears stung her eyes. Here was one of her childhood best friends, once so full of life and laughter, now just lying limp and pale on the bed. James was the closest to her out of all four of the guys, and she couldn't even go one hour without saying something to him. This couldn't be real. This had to be a nightmare. She pinched herself, praying it would wake her up. But no. This was reality, and the nightmare was the reality.

Unable to hold in any more, the dam burst and a whole flood of tears was released, washing over he tired face. Tess fell down into a chair by his bed, her head in her hands as her shoulders quaked with heavy sobs. She could feel an arm around her, someone saying words of comfort, but her friends' sympathy made her cry harder.

Finally, when the tear reservoir had run dry for the night, she asked, "Who would… do something like this to him?" Looking up for the first time she realized it was Logan's arm draped around her, who was squeezed in on the same chair she was in.

"We don't know," Kendall said. Carlos whimpered. "There was no driver."

"No…driver?" Tess asked, struggling to comprehend.

"None."

"Well, did you see anything strange at the Palmwoods?" Logan persisted.

"Well… Gustavo, I know he was at the concert…. Jo, she went off to see a movie with some friends." Tess said slowly, trying to remember. "I think Katie was playing video games with Kyle back at the apartment, and Camille- who knows where Camille went this time," she said rolling her eyes. A murmur of agreement ran through the room.

Suddenly Tess felt very tired from the evening's events. She wrapped her arms around Logan's waist and put her head on his shoulder, closing her eyes. He squeezed her and put his head on top of hers. Even in this crisis she found that Logan still offered a sense warmth and security.

With that last thought, she passed out.

"You do know James has a crush on Tess, right?"

It was close to midnight when Kendall said it. Carlos was asleep, his feet propped up on another chair. The only noises in the background were soft breathing and the beeps from James's heart monitor.

"Yeah…so? Logan asked.

Kendall rolled his eyes. "So… judging by the way this looks," -he pointed at the two of them- "I think I'm seeing a love triangle here,"

Logan sighed. "I just…I don't want her to get hurt."

The blonde across the room raised his eyebrows. "You think James is going to hurt her?"

"Like, emotionally. You know how James is. He's like a kid who whines for a new toy and breaks it once he has it."

"True,"

Both of them were silent for a minute.

"Hey, you sure about this, man?" Kendall asked. "James is going to be pretty ticked if he finds someone else dating her… especially if it's one of us."

"Okay then… that's a sacrifice I'll have to make," he replied, looking down at Tess. By now her knees were resting on the edge of the chair, her feet hanging off. Her arms had also changed position, one of her hands on his chest and the other still around his waist.

Yes. Deep down, he was sure.


	3. Chapter 3

**Heyy! So... you're wondering why I uploaded another Chapter 3. Well, I wasn't satisfied with the other one, so I added the argument between Tess and Caroline to show how Tess really sacrifices everything for the two guys in her life :) I probably am going to be including Tess in most of my stories. I don't know, I just got so used to her that I can't stop including her. She wasn't even supposed to be in this story, but habit kind of took over ****Next, I'm planning on a crossover with iCarly and Big Time Rush. Stay tuned for more, it's just a rough idea. It popped in my head last night when I was writing that sugary scene with Logan and Tess. And about the dream… I'm actually kind of ashamed of it. When I read it over it didn't seem to make much sense to me. Ehh. Just read it. **

**P.S- Who should Tess hook up with? Even I haven't decided yet. But another good question is, who do you think hit James? Hah, I'll give you a hint… she's already been mentioned in Chapter Two. **

The night was cold and misty. Foggy, actually. So foggy that Tess couldn't see five feet in front of her. The cold prickled her skin, making every hair on her body stand up. Unsure, she started to walk, working her way up to a slow jog, looking all around her for some sign of life.

Voices called out to her, too faint to make out the words. She stopped, turned. There was no one. Tess nervously pushed her hair behind her ear, biting her lip.

"_Tess!" _came another voice, a guy's. She jumped, startled. It was louder than it was last time. Tess looked around wildly, hoping to see someone- or something- emerge, but no such luck.

"Who's there?" she asked, her voice shaking.

"_Over here!" _Was- was that Logan's voice? Her heart pitter-pattered as she started to walk in the direction it came from. But she barely walked three steps before another voice attacked her.

"_No, don't." _The voice was firm, and it sounded an awful lot like James.

"James, is that you?" her voice quavered in the stillness.

"_Don't listen to him,_" instigated Logan's voice, impatient. "_He'll only hurt you._"

"What? James would never-"

"_He will. Listen to me,_" he pleaded.

Suddenly the scene changed, and Tess found herself on a sidewalk at night. There was cheering coming from somewhere in the distance. Tess looked up ahead of her, and saw three boys bolt to the sidewalk- except one, as a black Hummer sped towards it.

XXXXXXX

"NO!" Tess shrieked, waking up with a jolt. There was a crash from the corner of the room; Carlos had fallen out of his chair out of surprise. Tess looked around frantically- she was back in room 6699, still curled up with Logan beside James's bed. The bright lights from the room made her eyes hurt and the pale blue walls spun.

"Who died?" Kendall asked, alert.

Tess glared at him. "That's hardly an appropriate thing to say right now."

"Sorry."

Tess disentangled herself from Logan, putting her head in her hands. What. Just. Happened?..

"Nightmare?" Logan asked worriedly. Tess didn't answer- he was the last person she wanted to see right now.

"No," she snapped. "I'm fine, thanks."

"Is anyone going to bother to ask how I am after falling on my face?" Carlos whined from the floor.

"Why should we? You had your helmet on," said Logan.

"Hmph," Carlos pouted. "Well, I'm going to see if the cafeteria's got any enchiladas. Hey, a boy gotta eat." He added, seeing the look on Tess's face. With that he walked out the door, closing it softly behind him.

XXXXX

Tess let out a puff of air. "What now?"

"Good question."

"Well, I know what I'm gonna do." Kendall said. "Sleep. Tess, you woke me up too early with your nightmares." With that, he leaned back and closed his eyes.

"Guess it's just us," Logan said. Tess's insides squirmed.

"Yeah," she said, twisting her hands together. _Carlos come back, Carlos come back, _she pleaded silently.

"What would you say if… one of us said we liked you?" Logan asked after a small silence.

Tess was caught completely off guard. Where did _that _come from? "Depends who it is," she replied. "If it were Kendall, I'd slap him, because he's dating Jo. If it were Carlos, I'd probably slap him too. If it were James, then I'd say-" Tess caught herself. She just realized she was about to say "I'd say yes." "I mean, I'd say… nothing, just walk away." She finished, blushing horribly.

"What if it were me?" Logan asked her quietly.

He was way too close now. His brown eyes bore into hers, searching for the answer. She had none. Their faces were 3 inches apart, but slowly moving even closer. _Oh my God, what the hell is happening,_ Tess thought wildly. Her eyes moved to his lips, looking soft and enticing. Now he was an inch away-

"_All my life I've been good, but now, whoaaa I'm thinking what the hell—" _

Tess bit her lip and silently cursed herself for not turning off her phone. She fished it out of her jeans pocket and checked the caller ID. _Caroline, _it read. Caroline was one of Tess's best female friends, and she was dating a Palmwoods actor named Tom. And she never shut up about him.

"Sorry. Gotta take this," she said, and hurried the heck out of there, sweat beading on her head. She hit the 'answer call' button, and snapped "Is this important?"

"Jeez, I was just wondering if you were going to the Fourth of July dance," Caroline said, her voice crackling through the receiver.

"Oh, yeah, the 'Fourth of July' dance they hold in the middle of June? Sorry, I can't make it this year."

"But we don't even know what date it's on yet!" Caroline protested.

"Well, I assume it's being held on the same day as every other year, which means I can't make it."

"No, no, it's on the thirtieth of June this year, you can make it!" Caroline said excitedly. Ever the party girl.

"I can't, Caroline," Tess said shortly.

"But we don't have to be there till at least 8 o'clock," Caroline's tone became wheedling. "You could even come at nine if it was easier. It's on a Friday night, Tess."

"Look, Caroline, I'm sorry. I promised to help the nurses with James."

"Well, that makes a change," Caroline muttered.

"What did you say?" Tess said, blood starting to boil.

"Nothing."

"I heard you; you said that makes a change, didn't you? Well, it just so happens that one of my best friends is in a _coma, _and I can't just leave him for a stupid dance. Plus, Logan and I were going to go to Latitude 30."

"Fine then," Caroline huffed. "Don't go."

"I won't!"

"Fine!"

"Don't be so childish, Caroline," Tess rolled her eyes. "I promised Logan that night, simple as that."

"Well, that's no surprise, they're you all ever hang out with these days," Caroline blurted out angrily. "You never come out with me anymore, every time I ask you to you're always doing something apparently much more important, with _Logan._" Caroline spat the name out. "If you have a problem with me, Tess, I wish you'd just say it to my face instead of being a miserable bore!"

Tess stared at her phone in shock. She couldn't believe Caroline would say something like that. She couldn't believe Caroline could be so stupid and selfish. No wonder she felt like she was going insane; her own friends couldn't even understand her.

"That," Tess said, anger spilling into her words, "Is the most selfish thing I've ever heard."

"I'm selfish?" Caroline squealed. "I called you last night to invite you to the movies with Jo, and you chickened out!"

"I had to be with James, you know that!" Tess defended herself.

"Oh, bullshit! James would have been fine on his own. He has a coma, he's not freaking dying! You don't need to be by his side twenty-four-seven!"

Caroline went quiet as she realized what she had just said.

Tess let everything loose. Her voice shook with rage as she spoke. "And you wonder why I never go out with you. Because of stupid, insensitive remarks like that. Did you ever think for one moment it might be hard for me? The fact that all you ever talk about is Tom and how you're going to spend the rest of your lives in wedded bliss and have his babies? In case you haven't noticed, one my _best friends _is lying on that hospital bed in the next room. Yes, I'm happy for you, Caroline, and I'm not asking for any special treatment or anything, but I'm asking for a bit of patience and for you to understand that _I will not get over this in a few days!_ As for the dance, I _don't _want to go somewhere where me and James have gone for the past 6 years. You might not understand this, Caroline, but funnily enough I would find it _a bit difficult_, to say the least. So don't book a ticket for me, I'm perfectly happy staying at _home!_" With that she jabbed her finger at the _End Call_ icon and breathed hard for a few minutes, thinking of what had just happened.

Hot tears pricked at her eyes. Why did no one understand her? Was the world going mad? James was halfway dead in the next room and here was Caroline calling to invite her to a party. She slid down the wall to the linoleum and pulled her knees to her chest, resting her head on them. Suddenly she burst into tears. She felt lost. Lost in the world. Her life was spiraling out of control, not to mention her love life. What had happened back there with Logan before Caroline had called? He was about to kiss her, she was sure of it. But… wouldn't it be wrong, kissing a guy she'd been practically siblings with since first grade?

Then there was James. She wasn't sure if she liked him or not. She wasn't sure of much these days. Her mind starting to lapse into human mode again, she tried to decide about him. He was the closest to her out of the four guys, he was always first to know what was going on in her life, the first to know when something went wrong. In fact, that was why they always went to the Fourth of July dance together, because, if they didn't, Tess felt like she couldn't fully enjoy the night.

CRASH!

The sound of tinkling glass brought Tess back to reality. She picked herself up off the floor and ran into room 6699. The first thing she saw was a whole window had shattered, shards of glass falling on the floor.

Ignoring Logan and Kendall's bemused expressions. Tess looked around her wildly, searching for what had broken the glass. Then she saw it- a rock with a piece of paper tied to it. She picked it up and read:

_Ha! Sorry to get in the middle of that drama scene. Anyway, look out the window. I've got a sight worth seeing. _The note was unsigned.

Tess ran to the un-broken window, Logan and Kendall right at her heels. Flashing red lights took up much of the scene. There was a white, ambulance truck, and an official-looking person tying someone into a straitjacket.

Wait a second.

That someone was Carlos.

**Getting interesting now, isn't it? Haha. I've actually had the nightmare Tess had, except with different people who Im not going to name. Love you all dearly! **


	4. Chapter 4

**Ha, I was watching Big Time Crushes a few weeks ago, and I was sitting reaaaally close to the TV because I was so interested! At the end when Camille said to Logan, "Did you have something to say?" I shook the TV and was like, "YES YOU HAVE SOMETHING TO SAY, LOGAN!" (because I'm a huge Camille/Logan supporter) but then he said no and I almost threw the remote at the screen. That very strange experience inspired me for this chapter. Yeah, I know what you're thinking: "hopelessromantic99 gets ideas from the weirdest places." Well, you're right. One time I got story idea when I was… never mind. Well, I hope that this has you saying "YES! YOU HAVE SOMETHING TO SAY!" too! : D **

_The world. Is going. Mad. _

That was what Tess was thinking when she raced down the stairs to the lobby, rushing to get to Carlos before it was too late. She would've jumped out the window if Logan and Kendall hadn't held her back. Tess's brain was about to explode- James got hit by a car, Logan had practically tried to kiss her, her friend Caroline was pissed at her, and now here was Carlos being declared mentally insane. What the heck was wrong with the world? Carlos said he was going to get enchiladas, not get practically arrested by some mental hospital.

She burst through the doors, screaming "WAIT! HE'S—MY—FRIEND! HE"S INNOCENT!" Tess wasn't sure what Carlos was innocent for, but she had a really bad feeling in the pit of her stomach that it wasn't good. She ran with whatever strength she had left, leaving Kendall and Logan behind in the dust. "WAIT! WAIT!" she bellowed, waving her hands around as she ran into the small crowd consisting of police officers, news reporters, and curious onlookers. Tess pushed her way through them, not bothering to say 'excuse me.'

"WAIT!" She finally managed as she squeezed through the throng and to the truck. "CARLOS!" She screamed, hoping to get the Latino's attention. He turned around at the sound of his name, and relief washed over his childlike face.

"Oh man, I'm glad to see you, Tess," he said, but worry was in his voice.

"Carlos! What the hell is going on here?" Tess asked a little hysterically.

"I don't know! I walked downstairs to the cafeteria to see if they had enchiladas, and then these two"- he eyed the two beefy men talking to the news reporters- "Just grabbed me by the arm. They said, 'Excuse me, but you need to come with us.' I didn't know what to do, so I followed them. Now here I am," Carlos finished meekly.

"You. Turn around. Now." Tess commanded, and he complied. She started tugging at the knots of his straitjacket, trying to get them loose.

"What're doing?" he asked.

"I'm trying to get you out of this thing!" Tess shouted. "I can't let you be shipped off to a mental hospital!"

"_There _you are!" A voice came from behind them. She turned to find Logan and Kendall approach, both out of breath and faces flushed from running around looking for her.

"You guys try to untie this," Tess told them, without even waiting for an explanation. "Go to the other side of truck so no one sees you. I'll go deal with everyone else."

Without waiting for an answer, she started towards the beefy guys Carlos told her about. Pasting a sweet smile on her face, she asked in the most innocent, casual way she could manage: "Um, what's going on here?"

"We finally caught a thief who's been robbing shops all over," one of them said proudly, his chest puffing out with pride. Tess's smile faltered for a split second; _thief? _

"Oh. What's he been robbing?"

"Drugs. Alcohol. But because he's under 18, we have to send him to a rehabilitation clinic," the other man answered, jabbing his thumb behind him at the truck. Tess caught a glimpse of the company name: 'C's Rehabilitation Clinic for the Mentally Insane, Abused, and Addicted.'

"Oh," she said again in a small voice. Tess wandered away from them, her head swimming with questions. Robbery? Drugs? Alcohol? Surely they had the wrong guy. Carlos wasn't like that. He was, in fact, the opposite. Sure, he was 17, but at heart he was 7. Tess remembered back in 7th grade Health, when they'd shown the traditional 'puberty video,' that Carlos had passed out at the 2 minute mark when the narrator had said the word 'perspiration.' And then, the year before, the teacher had said that anyone could offer you a cigarette, even your best friend. Well, after hearing THAT, Carlos didn't even walk on the same side of the street with the others for a good month and a half.

"Any luck?" she asked her two friends when she came around the truck again.

"No," Kendall grunted, pulling at the ties. "God, these things are tight. If only James were here-" he stopped suddenly, glancing at Tess. "Sorry," he added hastily.

Before Tess could answer, her arm was pulled to the right. She gave a little shriek and found herself face to face with a newswoman and a camera.

"I'm Barbara Walters," said the woman in a clipped, official tone. "I'm here to ask what are your thoughts about the case of Carlos Garcia?"

Tess grabbed the mic out of Barbara's hands. "You listen to me, America! Jacksonville! Wherever you guys are! Carlos is innocent. Someone's framing him. Believe me, he'd never do something like that. I've known him for 10 years, which is longer than anyone, except maybe the members of Big Time Rush. Please believe me, guys." She pleaded, her eyes wide with concern.

Suddenly she remembered something from her drama class. _If you want to have an impact on the audience, shed tears. _

"I m-mean," Tess's lip wobbled, her eyes summoning the tears. "I'd- I'd hate it if one of my childhood friends was shipped off to a m-mental instit-t-tution. R-really, what is the p-police thinking?" She put a hand over her eyes, as though trying to hide her weeping face from the viewers at home. "C-Carlos is innocent. I-I just w-want him back as s-soon as p-possible. Thank you." She handed the mic back to Barbara, who stood there, stunned.

"That, America, was a true and touching friend," Barbara announced, regaining her composure. "What do you think? Should Carlos be set on parole or imprisoned? Text 24366 to…"

Tess didn't go back to Carlos. She didn't go back to help Kendall and Logan free him. Instead, she mechanically went back up to room 6699, taking the stairs slowly, her hand gripping the railing. This was all too much to process for an 18 year old. It would have been more bearable, tolerable if James were here.

Tears stung her eyes, for real this time. What was the last thing she'd ever said to him? She couldn't even remember. She did, however, remember what he'd said to her years ago, when he'd gone to Austria (he had a family reunion) for the whole summer: "No matter where you are, what you do, who you're with, I'll be there with you. Maybe not in body, but in spirit." Back then she'd believed him, and whenever he was away she'd think about that, and be immediately cheered up. Huh. Where was that girl now?

With every step Tess took, she was reminded of something that had happened with her and James. Memories were unearthed from the deepest corners of her mind, things she hadn't even thought about for years. She remembered his first crush, a girl named Nicole Trusty. Nicole wasn't so trusty- she was the biggest gossip in school, along with her best friend Kristi McPherson. The feeling of hatred and jealousy slashed through Tess again at just the thought of the twosome, making her knees go weak. She grabbed the railing again for support. She was reminded painfully of the afternoons when James would gaze longingly at her, while Tess vainly tried to snap him out of it. She recalled the long phone conversations she'd had at night with him on almost a daily basis, analyzing Nicole's every move to other guys during the day. Tess hated the girl. That stupid way she'd toss her hair around and sashay around the room was enough to make anyone puke. Funny, when James finally got over her, she and Nicole had become a little closer. As in, Tess could tolerate her presence a little more. The others had said it was because Tess had been jealous, but she'd denied it at the time.

Looking back on it now, Tess saw that her actions could be misinterpreted into jealousy. When your best friend for life has a crush, you're supposed to be all happy and help them, right? Wasn't that what a non-jealous friend would do? But Tess didn't do that. She had, in fact, involuntarily tried to make James un-like her. She'd told him that Nicole liked Chris, another guy in their class, to make him stop obsessing over her, and it worked for a little while.

So what did that mean?

Tess was absolutely, positively sure she didn't like James. Yes, he was good-looking. Yes, he was hilarious. Yes, he was caring. So what? He would still be her best friend… right?

_Ah, go on, he's worth it, _urged her heart.

_No, but he's my friend, _her brain argued.

_Oh, bullshit! You _know_ you like him. What about all that business about Nicole, huh? You were jealous, admit it. You were jealous that the girl he liked was Nicole and not you. That was the one thing you envied about her. Everything else- the clothes, the money, the hair- it didn't matter. What did matter was who had a crush on her, _her heart countered. _You never admitted to yourself you liked him because you never gave him a chance to love you. What do you see when you close your eyes? You see him, don't you? I'll tell you why you do: You. Like. Him._

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

_Logan's POV. _

I looked around once more. No sign of her. I sighed, still pulling at the knots of Carlos' straitjacket. I hadn't seen Tess for 15 minutes; suppose she was getting into trouble too?

"Hey, do you know where Tess went?" I asked Kendall.

"Nope," he replied.

"I'll call her," I said, trying not to sound too worried. "Be right back."

I wandered away to the bushes by the lobby doors and dialed her number at the speed of light. She picked up on the second ring. "Hello?" she answered weakly, like she'd just woken up or something.

"Tess?" I asked, immediately alert. "Is something wrong?"

"I- um- no, there's not," she stammered. "I'm going back to James's room. There's… there's something I have to do."

My heart deflated. "Oh," I said.

"Is there any other reason you called?"

I paused, trying to find the words to say. There were a million reasons. I wanted to ask what she was feeling. I wanted to know where she was so I could be with her, right that second. I wanted to tell her it was me who had written "Worldwide" for her, not James. Most of all, I wanted to tell her I loved her. I'd hidden my secret for the longest time- it was about time to tell.

But I bit it back. The question was, how would she react? She probably won't take me seriously, like so many people had before. So I simply said, "No," but it sounded phony, even to my ears.

"Okay. See you later." She hung up.

I slipped my phone back into my back pocket, feeling a little lost.

**So I included Logan's POV so you could see how he feels about Tess through his eyes. I totally loved how her brain and heart were arguing, I thought it was cute : ) **

**YEAH YEAH YEAH YEAH MY BEST FRIEND'S BROTHER IS THE ONE FOR ME YEAH YEAH YEAH YEAH PUNK ROCK DRUMMER AND HE'S SIX FOOT THREE I DON'T WANT TO BUT I WANT TO AND I JUST CANT GET YOU OUTTA MY MIND YEAH YEAH YEAH YEAH MY BEST FRIEND'S BROTHER IS THE ONE FOR ME, BFB, BFB, MY BEST FRIEND'S BROTHER MY BEST FRIEND'S BROTHER **

**AHHH I love that song! It's "BFB" by Victoria Justice. I might use it for a songfic about James and Katie. Stay tuned! Love you all dearly! **


	5. Chapter 5

**AHHHH! I'm STILL excited that I made my first Jatie fanfic last night (it's called "BFB")! **

**Okay, em, Jatie aside… here is Chapter 5, which you BETTER like… I kind of hit a wall with this one. Like, I had no clue how to start it, I didn't know how to end it, but I knew what was going to happen in between. Weird, huh? **

**Oh, and I decided to fast forward a few hours because I didn't want Kendall and Logan to be untying Carlos for, like, eternity. **

Later that afternoon, they all took the elevator downstairs because the nurses had to sponge James off, which put images in their minds which they'd like to forget. Neither one of them had wanted to go back to lobby, because they were reminded quite painfully of Carlos. Kendall and Logan hadn't been able to untie his straitjacket, and Carlos was taken away to C's Rehab Clinic. And the story was all over the news. Every TV in the lobby was turned to Channel 6. Every news banner read: _Carlos Garcia: Robbing Stores or Robbed Identity? _

_Robbed identity, _Tess thought.

"Hey look, the lobby's got a piano," Logan commented, making his way over to the white, marble instrument.

Tess rolled her eyes. "Only you would be excited about that."

He made a face at her as he sat on the bench. "I challenge thee to a piano battle," he declared.

"You're so on."

"My money's on Logan," Kendall said.

"Sexist," Tess muttered, squeezing in between Kendall and Logan on the bench. She started on "Fur Elise," but immediately got the first note wrong.

"No, see, it's like this," Logan corrected her quietly, putting his hand over hers on the piano. Her heart sped up a little.

Logan started the first few bars of "Fur Elise," and a flood of memories came back to her. This was the first song James had taught her, way back in 6th grade. She smiled as she remembered James patiently pointing out her mistakes (which was a lot), and how they spent _forever _on it. Those days seemed to be a million years ago. So she just sat there, the music fueling her memories.

"Your turn," Logan's voice seemed to come from a distance.

Something wet came down her face. She wiped at her cheeks and was startled to find out she was crying for the millionth time during the past two days. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Kendall nod at Logan.

Logan started playing again, but it was a different, airy melody that she'd never heard before. She was even more surprised when he started to sing.

"_I'm back to put the sunshine in your mind,_

_cause I don't like the way he's got you raining all the time. _

_Put away all your troubles by leaving him behind, _

_So everytime you look up, see clear blue sky. _

_But here he comes again, like a cloud in your view_

_Blocking all of your light like only he could do_

_Don't listen to his sorries, girl, drop him, drop him_

_He really needs to stop it, cause I'm your only topic now _

_With me you'll never end up in the same silly situations, no_

_Don't you know that if you were to walk, then I'd be here waiting _

_Girl, don't you cry your heart out_

_Let me stop before you start out _

_Don't need his explanations, no_

'_Cause he don't really wanna know about_

_The way you're feeling now _

'_Cause I'm the one who's here for you, no doubt _

_So don't you cry your heart out. _

_Baby girl, I would never tell you lies _

_No crocodile tears, no messing with your mind_

_We could talk forever, past the end of time _

_I promise you a love that'll never make you blind _

_But when I'm here with you, not a cloud in your view _

_Nothing blocking out your light, not like he used to _

_Don't listen to his sorries girl, drop him, drop him_

_He really needs to stop it, 'cause I'm your only topic now. _

_With me you'll never end up in the same silly situations, no_

_Don't you know that if you were to walk, then I'd be there waiting _

_Girl, don't you cry your heart out_

_Let me stop before you start out _

_Don't need his explanations, no_

'_Cause he don't really wanna know about_

_The way you're feeling now _

'_Cause I'm the one who's here for you, no doubt _

_So don't you cry your heart out._"

XXXXXXXXXXX

The song ended with a soft, high note on the piano. It also ended with applause from the other people in the room, from patients in wheelchairs to family members. By this time, Tess had soaked through three tissues. "Oh my gosh! I love you guys!" she said, squeezing both of them at the same time.

"Ack-can't-breathe-Tess-"

"Oh, sorry," she gave them a watery smile. "Did you guys write that?"

"No, it's a Cody Simpson song," Logan admitted sheepishly.

"Well, we should go back upstairs," Kendall said, checking his watch. "It's been about 10 minutes, and that's how long the nurses said it would take to sponge him off," he added with a shudder.

"Ha, yeah."

On the way back, a her euphoria at the song was quickly vanishing and being replaced with worry for Carlos and James. That was two Big Time Rush members down- who was next? She cringed at the thought. She looked around at her two remaining friends. Who'd want to hurt them? Yes, Katie would, but not seriously. Kendall and Jo were still happily dating, and Logan and Camille were still friends after the breakup. That left only Gustavo and Kelly, and Tess knew that, as much as he wanted to, Gustavo would never purposely injure them. And Kelly was sweet as pie, so she'd never do anything like that.

The elevator dinged, signaling their return to the third floor. They all shuffled out and headed to the left, back to room 6699. Kendall ran ahead of them, anxious to get some sleep.

"Um, you guys?" Kendall called down to them. He sounded really worried. "Look at this."

"What is it?" Tess asked, still about a yard away from him.

"Just come and see it."

Peering over Kendall's broad shoulder, Tess saw an 8 by 11" picture taped onto the door. But it wasn't any other picture. With a shock she realized that it was a picture from a few minutes ago, down at the piano in the lobby. It was when Logan had pointed out her mistake in "Fur Elise," and had his hand over hers. The shot was taken at an angle so it looked as though they were holding hands. "Wouldn't want James to know this when he wakes up, would you?" read a note in red cursive at the bottom. It was, again, unsigned.

Tess quickly ripped the picture down. "Who's doing this?" she wondered out loud, crumpling the paper into a ball.

"Let me see the paper," Logan asked her quietly, and she gave the paper ball to him. He smoothed it out, and dropped his eyes to the note at the bottom. "I know this handwriting," he said, "I've seen it before. But I don't know whose it is…"

"Really? Where've you seen it?" Kendall prodded.

"Hang on, let me think," Logan said, closing his eyes. "I know it was at the Palmwoods…"

But unfortunately, Logan couldn't recall anything else. "I swear I know this," he said with another look at the paper.

"Well, just keep it so we can take another crack at it later," Kendall advised him. He patted his pockets. "Tess, you got the key?"

"Yeah, it's right here," she took off her necklace.

"You made it into a necklace?"

"Well, yeah. So I wouldn't lose it."

"Girls," Kendall muttered, unlocking the door.

**Do you guys know who it is now? Funny how only **_**Logan **_**knows that handwriting. That's my last hint to you guys. **

**AHHH! I TOTALLY forgot to put in what Tess was doing upstairs in the last chapter! Ugh -.- I'm such a bad author. Next chapter, Mama promises! **

**BTW, the song Logan sings to her is "Don't Cry Your Heart Out," by Cody Simpson. YouTube it. Now. **


	6. Chapter 6

**ALMOST DONEEE! :D And I forgot AGAIN to put what Tess was doing upstairs in Chapter 4. UGHH! But anyhoo… this chapter was really fun to write at 2 A.M. **

Tess cringed at her reflection. Her hair was oily, as it had not been washed in two days, and her face was thin and pale. Her eyes looked sunken and had heavy bags under them. A light sprinkle of zits covered her forehead. She shuffled out of the bathroom and poked her head into room 6699.

"Hey. I'm going back to the Palmwoods to get a decent shower. Anyone coming?"

"Yes please!" Kendall shot up.

"I call shotgun!" Logan agreed.

XXXXXX

Thirty minutes later, Tess emerged from the bathroom in apartment 2J. "Bathroom's free," she called, brushing her damp curls. Kendall flew past her, slamming the door behind him. A few minutes later she heard the shower turn on again and Kendall's sigh of relief.

Rolling her eyes at the blonde, she looked around the familiar, cozy apartment. The first sight she saw was Logan fast asleep on the bright orange couch, with Jenna Rose's "Don't Give Up," playing softly through the stereo. Tess smirked. She knew about Logan's not-so-secret addiction to Jenna Rose. Except for that song "My Jeans"….

Now that she had showered and freshened up, Tess made a beeline for the door, planning on going downstairs to the lobby to annoy Bitters or something_. _Just then, there was a knock. Tess peeked out the peephole and saw it was Camille.

"Hey, Tess!" Camille said brightly when she opened the door. "I heard about James and Carlos," her smile faltering a little when she said it. "So I thought maybe you wanted a girly day out!"

"Sure Camille," Tess agreed. "But Logan and Kendall…"

"Oh, they won't mind," Camille assured her. "They're guys. They can manage."

"Can I just write them a note, at least?" Tess asked.

Camille shrugged. "Okay."

Tess grabbed another Post-It from the counter and quickly scrawled: _Logan, I went out with Camille. Be back soon. Love, T. _She peeled off the one already on his face and replaced it with the new one.

With that, Camille took Tess's hand and practically dragged her out the apartment.

XXXXXX

"Hello, Sleeping Beauty," Kendall greeted Logan as he stretched. "You have a pink Post-It note on your face, by the way," he added, ripping it off his skin and handing it to him.

Before Logan could read the curly, bubbly writing, his phone chimed the opening bars of Mozart's Fifth. _James,_ the preview screen read. Logan stared.

"Who is it?" Kendall asked.

"James," Logan half-whispered. "Should I-"

"Yes!" Kendall urged.

Logan slid his finger to the _Answer Call. _"Hello?"

"Guys, I need to tell you something. I know who hit me. I still remember." James started as soon as Logan answered.

"Whoa, whoa wait- you're awake?" Logan said incredulously.

"Obviously."

"But the doctors said that you'd be out for a month!"

"They were surprised too, when I called for the nurse. Oh, you should've seen them. They were like, 'Say whaa?' And Dr. Ruby even had a—"

"Okay, so who hit you?" Logan interrupted eagerly. Kendall leaned in close to the phone.

"Camille," James said promptly.

Logan's heart dropped. "_Camille?" _he said in disbelief. He glanced down at the pink Post-It. _Logan, I went out with Camille. Be back soon. Love, T. _"OH MY GOD!"

"Wait, Logan, are you okay?" James asked over the phone, but Logan barely heard him. "Listen, James, I gotta go!" With that he hung up.

"Look at this! Kendall, _look at it!_" he shoved the Post-It under his nose. "Tess is with Camille _right now, _the same girl who hit James, and probably the same girl who sent Carlos to the mental hospital!"

Light dawned on Kendall. "Oh my God…" he whispered hoarsely.

"And that was _Camille's_ handwriting on that picture, that was why I was the only one who knew it! Oh, God, and Tess is with her! We don't even know where they went! They could be anywhere by now!"

"Okay, Logan, calm down. Deep breath." Kendall tried to soothe his friend.

"Oh, man, I hope Tess is okay…"

XXXXXXX

_James remembered! It was Camille. Camille hit him and sent Carlos away. Reply if you get this! Logan. _

Tess's phone slid from her grasp to the floor with a clatter.

Camille cast a sideways glance at her. "You okay?"

"Yeah," she said, heart pounding. "I'm fine." She bent to pick up her phone and read the text again. Again. And again. The words might as well have been in Chinese- Tess wasn't able to process them.

_R u sure? _She typed back with trembling thumbs.

_Yes,_ Logan wrote back. _Get out of there. NOW! _

"So who was it?" Camille chirped.

"Um.. it was my mom," she lied.

"Okay," Camille nodded slightly, not changing the speed of her black Hummer. Tess's phone lit up again. Another text had come in. Then another. And another. _Tess, what's going on? Tess, plz text us back. Tess, ur in DANGER. Plz tell us ur ok! _

"You're certainly popular. What's going on?" Camille asked as they rolled to a red light.

"N-nothing's going on." As Tess slowly curled her fingers around the door handle. Camille caught her other wrist.

"What are you _doing?_" Camille's eyes swung from Tess's phone back to Tess's panicked face. Tess could see realization flooding over Camille's face. "Logan, huh?" she said. Her expression went from confusion to shock to… glee. Camille pressed the lock button again. She gunned the engine when the light turned green. Tess watched as the odometer climbed up from fifty to sixty to seventy.

"Where are we going?" Tess asked in a small, terrified voice.

Camille winked and blew Tess a kiss. "You were never one for patience. Now you'll just have to wait and see."

**MUAHAHAHAHA! Hope you liked it… just one more chapter to go… Sigh. **


	7. Chapter 7

**Da Da Da Daaaa! The Grande Finale! **

**Okay, just kidding. There's one more chapter after this. I lied to you guys in the last one. **

"It was Camille, all Camille," Logan said breathlessly to Kelly and Gustavo.

"Your ex?" Kelly asked, brow furrowing.

Logan blushed. "That doesn't matter right now! The point is-"

He never got to finish his sentence, because his phone went off again with Mozart's Fifth. He gave a little shriek at the sound. Shaking, he tugged his phone out of his back pocket.

"It's Tess!" Kendall yelped, relieved.

Logan hit the answer button, but he didn't say hello. He put the phone on speaker, all the while putting a finger over his lips. _Shhh, _he mouthed.

"I've always thought St. John's Bluff was so pretty," Tess said loudly, sounding far away. "So many trees, especially in this secluded part of town."

Kendall, Kelly, and Gustavo all exchanged confused glances, but Logan understood. He'd seen this once on a TV show with Tess. She must have managed to secretly call Logan and give him clues about where Camille was taking her.

"So why are we turning on Tara Avenue?" Tess rang out again. Kelly disappeared for a few seconds and came back with a map of Los Angeles, highlighting the intersection of Tara Avenue and St. John's Bluff with a yellow marker. "This isn't the way to the mall," Tess said again in a bright voice.

"Duh, Tess," Camille said.

"Are we going to the lake?"

"Maybe," Camille singsonged.

Logan's eyes widened. The Moyenne Lake was more of a bottomless pit full of water.

"I just love the lake," Tess was saying.

Suddenly there was a gasp and a shriek. There were a few bumping noises, then-

"Hello, Logan, honey," Camille said sweetly.

"Camille," Logan said, his voice shaking. "What are you doing with Tess?"

"Logan-" Tess whimpered in the background, but Camille stopped her.

"Oh, cram it, Cinderella. And Logan, we're going to the lake. It's so beautiful, don't you think? It's such a lovely place. And by the way… your girlfriend here? She's currently been… indisposed." She sneered.

"Camille, what have you done to her?"

"Oh, please. Why do you care so much? You knew all this time that Tess never liked you. You heard it all yourself- she was always talking about _James, _how awesome _James_ is. You were always second best. Always." Silence.

Logan stared at his phone. _Call Ended, _the screen flashed.

XXXXXXX

Camille glanced at Tess as they parked by a cliff by the lake. "So I guess James woke up, didn't he?"

Tess nodded vigorously.

"Weird. He shouldn't have remembered. Oh well," Camille said.

"I can't believe it was you the whole time."

"I know, right? It must have been so annoying not knowing! It was so fun to watch you guys go crazy."

"But… why?"

"I hated you, Tess," Camille's eyes gleamed in her direction. "I hated how you got everything I wanted. You got all the lead roles. You were everyone's favorite. Worst of all, you got Logan."

"Excuse me?" Tess couldn't believe her ears.

"Oh, come _on_!" Camille rolled her eyes. "Logan dumped me for a reason. And now I know." Camille's eyes canvassed Tess for a reaction. Then she reached out and punched Tess playfully on the shoulder. "You look so freaked out right now. Like I'm going to hurt you or something. It doesn't have to be this way, you know."

Tess recoiled from her touch. "Be… what way?"

"I mean, at first, I hated you, Tess." Camille said. "But then we became friends. It was so fun, hanging out backstage at plays and stuff. Wasn't it nice, _really_ _talking?_ So I decided to help you."

Tess blinked, dumbstruck.

Camille gave Tess a devious look. "We can turn this around, Tess. Let bygones be bygones and all that. We can go back to the Palmwoods and say it was a huge misunderstanding- James must not be remembering properly. And you saw how sneaky I can be- that picture of you and Logan? _That_ was pure brilliance…" she chuckled. "We can control the Palmwoods. You want James? We can make it happen. Your life would be perfect."

"But you… you hit James. You sent Carlos away," Tess whispered. "And I don't like James like that…"

"I had to find a weak spot in your armor," Camille shrugged.

"I'm… I'm sorry," Tess said hoarsely. "I don't… I don't want to control the Palmwoods or whatever. That's crazy."

Camille's disappointed expression morphed into something darker. "Fine," she said. "Have it your way, then."

In one swift move, Camille had her hands around Tess's neck. Tess screamed and jerked back, flailing to hit the unlock button. She kicked Camille in the chest. As Camille squealed and recoiled Tess yanked the door handle and shoved it open, tumbling out of the Hummer onto the grass. She pushed herself up and ran into the darkness, sprinting away from the car. The noise of the Moyenne grew louder and louder- Tess could tell she was nearing the edge of the cliff. Camille's footsteps pitter pattered behind her, and Tess felt Camille's arms wrap around her waist, pushing her heavily to the mud on the ground. Camille climbed on top of her and wrapped her hands around Tess's neck again. "I thought we were friends, Tess!" Camille grimaced, trying to keep Tess still as she kicked and flailed.

"I guess not!" Tess choked out. With all the might she had left she pressed her legs onto Camille's body, throwing her backwards. Camille landed a few feet away on her butt. Tess scrambled up, time seeming to slow down. Camille got up, too, her eyes flashing and her teeth clenched.

Then something strange happened. Tess shut her eyes and just… reacted. She shoved Camille, and Camille grabbed her shirt. They both tumbled down the hillside, and landed on the shore of the lake. Her head hit the ground with a crack and… her eyes fluttered shut.


	8. Chapter 8

**YAYY! I NOW HAVE 10 REVIEWS! Wow, that sounded really lame… but I'm still excited! **

**Agghh… I saw the commercial for "Big Time Breakup" a few days ago and apparently the song "Worldwide" is about Jo and Kendall and not James and my OC… I wrote a songfic about them using that song and so now I'm feeling really guilty… Hey, you know what's funny? I cried when I saw the preview for it, so who knows what I'll be like on the actual thing. **

**So anyway, HERE is the answer to the biggest question: who will Tess choose? Sorry it's kind of rushed… **

Tess limped back with the help of Kendall and Logan. Again and again police came up to her, asking her if she needed an ambulance, but she denied every offer. She'd landed on sand, and nothing seemed to be broken. Funny, when she was walking to the squad car, Tess walked- or rather limped- in a daze. Everything seemed so surreal. But once she was in the squad car, that's when everything came crashing down on her. James. Carlos. Logan. Camille. Kidnapping. Lake. Falling.

She collapsed on Logan, who was on her left, tears bubbling to her eyes. "It's all over," she kept whispering. "All over." She looked up at him. "Is Camille… going to be okay?"

He shrugged. "I saw her. She wasn't looking too good." He put his arm around her. "But what matters now is that _you_ need to be going to the hospital."

"What? I don't need…" Then she passed out.

XXXXXX

When Tess next came to, she was in the hospital. Ughh. One of her least favorite places. She sat up in her bed and looked around the small room- pale blue walls and bright lights, as usual. Kendall and Logan were across the room, sleeping, occupying three chairs each. Only her heart monitor broke the silence. _B-beep. B-beep. B-beep. _Bored, she picked up an apple from the fruit bowl on her bedside table and tossed it to herself.

Then, she got an idea. It had been years since Tess had played softball but she was pretty sure her aim was still good. Windmilling her arm back, she thought: _Please let this hit my target and not the wall. _

Then she chucked the apple as hard as she could to Logan.

"OW!" he exclaimed, looking wildly around for the source. "What the hell was that for?" he asked, picking up the offending apple.

Tess shrugged. "I got bored."

"Well, next time you get bored, _please_ throw that somewhere else, preferably at Kendall's head, not mine."

Logan sat up and propped his feet on the chair in front of him. "So, I assume you're feeling better."

"No, I still feel like I got hit by a bus, but otherwise I'm fine," she said, making a face.

"Oh, Kendall and I went back to the apartment and picked up some stuff," Logan said, leafing through a plastic bag. "Catch." He tossed a pink stuffed animal to her. Luckily, she caught it.

"Oh my gosh! You brought Tiffany?" she asked in disbelief, hugging the little dog to her chest. Tess had had Tiffany ever since she was five and had been through a lot with that stuffed toy, like her parents' divorce and moving to L.A… she couldn't believe Logan had remembered. "Thanks so much."

"Oh, and there's one more thing," he added, fumbling nervously with a small black box.

"What?"

"Um, here," he said, walking over and giving it to her. "It's something I want you to have."

Giving him a confused look, she opened up the black velvet box. And her mouth formed a perfect O at what was inside. "Logan!" she gasped, lifting up the delicate ring. "You didn't have to get this! What's this even for?"

He grinned at her. "Read what's engraved on the inside."

She complied and squinted to read the tiny words etched onto the smooth surface. _Tess, I love you. Logan. _

She looked up at him, speechless.

Then he did the last thing she expected him to do. He kissed her.

Tess's eyes widened in surprise. She hadn't been expecting that. But along with the kiss- and the ring- she realized something. James was never the one for her. It had been Logan, always Logan. Yes- she _did _have a crush on him at one point, but then she hadn't been sure. Now she knew why- why Logan was always the first one there to know her troubles. How Logan was the one who really understood her, not James. It had never been James. Only Logan.

When they pulled apart, she whispered to him, "I love you too, Logan."

XXXXXXXXXXX

_So Logan and Tess fall in love and get together, blah blah blah. Kendall and Jo get married on a romantic island in Hawaii. James gets to be superstar and Carlos never gets sent to a mental institution again. Awww. _

_Are you effing kidding me? Wake up and get real! There's a new girl in town taking Camille's place now, and she's gonna be turning up the heat. I'm not letting Tess get off so easy with the goods. _

_So who am I? Sorry, guys… that's one little secret I'm keeping. For now, anyway. _

_Mwah! _

**YAYY! I'M FINALLY DONE! Well, with this story, anyway. The sequel will be coming soon to a fanfiction site near you! Originally I was going to have Tess and James, but Logan seemed more deserving of the prize : ) **

**So, I do have another chick taking Camille's place… and it's not an OC. **


End file.
